Ekho Moskvy loses office, Internet

MOSCOW. March 4 (Interfax) - The Moscow Property Department is severing the lease contract for the editorial office of Ekho Moskvy, and Internet providers are switching off their Internet, the radio station's Editor-in-Chief Alexei Venediktov said.

"Last night, a notice from the Moscow Property Department came that stated they are severing the [lease] contract, they have the right [to do that] unilaterally. Simultaneously, the providers received a notice from the [Gazprom Media] holding yesterday saying the contract is terminated. Our wireline Internet will be off by 4:00 p.m. today," Venediktov told Interfax on Friday.

The Ekho Moskvy board of directors earlier decided to "discontinue the operation of the media outlet, the Ekho Moskvy radio channel and the electronic periodical media outlet with the same name" after considering the order of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office on restriction of user access to the Ekho Moskvy media outlet.